#### : A Story of a Passion (Abel Sánchez: Una Historia de Pasión). `Author:` Miguel de Unamuno `Availability:` > [!info] > 1913 novel ![[Abel SánchezA Story of a Passio.jpeg]] ## Summary ## Key Takeaways In the novel, Unamuno uses the biblical [[storytelling|story]] of Cain and Abel as a framework to explore the dark [[passion]] of envy (la envidia). The main character, Joaquín, is a modern-day Cain, consumed by envy for his successful friend, Abel Sánchez. A pivotal moment in the book is when Joaquín becomes obsessed with the idea that Cain, the farmer and hunter, has been unfairly maligned by history. He argues that the God of the Bible is actually a God who favors Abel, the shepherd, and his animal sacrifices. Joaquín/Unamuno's radical reinterpretation is this: · Cain represents humanity, industry, and hunting. He tills the soil and hunts for his food. He offers the work of his own hands to God (the fruits of the harvest). · Abel represents pastoral, animalistic, and simpler life. He offers a blood sacrifice (a lamb) to God. · God rejects Cain's offering of cultivated grains and accepts Abel's blood sacrifice. Joaquín concludes that this God—the God of the Bible—is therefore a God of blood and sacrifice, a "Hunter God" who prefers a slaughtered animal to the products of human toil and civilization. He sees Cain not as the first murderer, but as the first civilized man, unjustly punished by a primitive, bloodthirsty deity. This idea wasn't Unamuno's personal theological belief, but a powerful literary and philosophical device he used to explore: · The origins of human envy and hatred. · The conflict between different ways of life ([[Agrarian]] vs. pastoral). · His recurring theme of the individual struggling against his fate and against divine (or societal) [[injustice]]. ## Quotes - ## Notes Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) He was a central figure of the Spanish intellectual movement known as the Generation of '98, a group of writers and philosophers who reflected on Spain's national identity following its defeat in the Spanish-American War. · Philosopher: His most famous philosophical concept is the "tragic sense of life" (el sentimiento trágico de la vida). He grappled with the conflict between faith (the desire for immortality) and reason (which concludes that death is the end). He was deeply existentialist, focusing on the concrete human individual, their passions, doubts, and suffering. · Writer: He was a prolific author who expressed his ideas in every major literary form:   · Essays: The Tragic Sense of Life is his most famous philosophical work.   · Novels: Mist (Niebla), Abel Sánchez, and Saint Manuel Bueno, Martyr are his best-known. His novels often explore the inner psychological and spiritual struggles of his characters.   · Poetry: He wrote a great deal of poetry, often on the same existential themes.   · Drama: He also wrote several plays. A Famous and Dramatic Story: Unamuno's life had a dramatic and famous ending that is often recounted. In 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil [[War]], he initially supported the Nationalist (Franco's) uprising but quickly became disillusioned with their brutality and fascist [[Ideology]]. At a ceremony at the University of Salamanca, where he was Rector, he publicly denounced the military commander Millán Astray and his infamous slogan "¡Viva la Muerte!" ("Long live [[Death]]!"). The event caused an uproar, and he was placed under house arrest, where he died a few months later. `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`